With their title hopes practically over, FC Barcelona face Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou in an attempt to mathematically remain in the title race. Ronald Koeman spoke to the press on Saturday, talking about the upcoming game, his meeting with Laporta, his future and much more.
On the chances for the league
“It is important to believe and continue, trying to win and hope. Our chances of winning are small but we still have something and it is about winning our games.”
On his meeting with Laporta
“I can’t explain much, we talked about the latest results, the team and we’ll meet to talk after the season.”
On if his future being in doubt is justified
“For me you have to judge the entire season. There have been difficulties. We are disappointed that we did not take advantage of the opportunity to be leaders. We did not. The important thing for a coach is to feel that you have confidence from the club. I can and I want to continue if that is the case. We agreed to talk after the season and it will be a more appropriate time. I see a lot of room for improvement, it is not a path that ends this season. There are impressive data about our improvement. There are many things positive in my opinion. To say that everything was perfect two weeks ago and now everything is horrible is not fair.”
On if Barça have thrown away the league title
“We did not throw it away. We made a comeback that took a lot of effort. Atlético and Real also dropped points. It is true that we lost a big chance against Granada, but we are talking about a tough match.”
On the support from the dressing room
“I feel greatly supported by the dressing room. And that’s difficult because there are some players who are starters and others who don’t play many games. You make decisions that mean that not everyone is happy. I always think about the club. That’s why I let them play.
On Mingueza going down to play for Barça B
“We have to thank the player, who has wanted to help the B side in their fight for promotion. We must highlight it.”
On if he is disappointed with his players
“I am not disappointed with my players. For them, it has also been a very difficult year. There are 5 or 6 players who have missed 35-40 games in all competitions. We were only able to sign 1 player. We can argue about substitutions, no problem with that. The fans have seen a team that has played fantastic games, which has shown the will to be hungry. We must also recognize that sometimes we have not won key games, such as Levante in the second half, which is not the expected level. The team has a future. If we can sign what we think is missing to take the next step, we can be excited about next year.”
On which positions need to be strengthened
“This is not the time. There are two games to go and I would like to talk about it later. We have to respect the players we have, who have to win these games.”
On if the team has not scored enough
“I would like us to score more, yes. We cannot depend on Messi alone. We need more players to score goals. We are the second team in Europe with the most goals this season, only behind Bayern. And along with City, we are the ones who create the most chances. Our mentality is to always attack and have the ball, this is Barça. The only thing is that we have to improve the percentage of effectiveness, both in the midfield and in the attacking third. We lack people at the top, like Ansu, who has been out for most of the season.”
On Barça Femeni and the Women’s Champions League final
“They have improved a lot. I have seen their matches and they are on a very good path. It is very important for them and for the club to win it. One piece of advice is that despite the importance, they have arrived there on their merits. They know I hope they win this game because of their game and ambition. They know it better than I do.”
On the press and other published opinion in the last few days
“In the last two weeks I have felt mistreated. We won the Cup, we recovered 12 points in a league that we are fighting. If you look at the press in recent days, it seems that we did a very bad job, and I do not agree with that.”
